Treatment References

Pain Management (Chronic or Acute)

Conditions with strong evidence

Chronic low back pain

  • 1. Liu L, Skinner M, McDonough S, Mabire L, Baxter GD. Acupuncture for low back pain: an overview of systematic reviews. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:328196.
  • 2. Chou R, Deyo R, Friedly J, Skelly A, Hashimoto R, Weimer M, et al. AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Reviews. Noninvasive Treatments for Low Back Pain. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2016.

Postoperative pain

  • 3. Wu MS, Chen KH, Chen IF, Huang SK, Tzeng PC, Yeh ML, et al. The Efficacy of Acupuncture in Post-Operative Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE. 2016;11(3):e0150367.

Postoperative pain – back surgery

  • 4. Cho YH, Kim CK, Heo KH, Lee MS, Ha IH, Son DW, et al. Acupuncture for acute postoperative pain after back surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pain Pract. 2015 Mar;15(3):279-91.

Postoperative pain – knee surgery

  • 5. Barlow T, Downham C, Barlow D. The effect of complementary therapies on post-operative pain control in ambulatory knee surgery: a systematic review. Complement Ther Med. 2013 Oct;21(5):529-34.
  • 6. Chen CC, Yang CC, Hu CC, Shih HN, Chang YH, Hsieh PH. Acupuncture for pain relief after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2015 Jan-Feb;40(1):31-6.

Knee osteoarthritis

  • 7. Corbett MS, Rice SJ, Madurasinghe V, Slack R, Fayter DA, Harden M, et al. Acupuncture and other physical treatments for the relief of pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee: network meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2013 Sep;21(9):1290-8.

 

Conditions with evidence of potential positive effect

Acute low back pain

  • 8. Lee JH, Choi TY, Lee MS, Lee H, Shin BC, Lee H. Acupuncture for acute low back pain: a systematic review. Clin J Pain. 2013 Feb;29(2):172-85.

Cancer pain

  • 9. Chiu HY, Hsieh YJ, Tsai PS. Systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture to reduce cancer-related pain. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2016 Feb 

Sciatica

  • 10. Lewis RA, Williams NH, Sutton AJ, Burton K, Din NU, Matar HE, et al. Comparative clinical effectiveness of management strategies for sciatica: systematic review and network meta-analyses. Spine J. 2015 Jun 1;15(6):1461-77.

Sensory perception- especially pressure pain threshold

  • 11. Baeumler PI, Fleckenstein J, Takayama S, Simang M, Seki T, Irnich D. Effects of acupuncture on sensory perception: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. 2014;9(12):e113731.

Temporomandibular pain

  • 12. Grillo CM, Canales Gde L, Wada RS, Alves MC, Barbosa CM, Berzin F, et al. Could Acupuncture Be Useful in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Dysfunction? J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2015 Aug;8(4):192-9.

 

Various Musculoskeletal /Sports Injuries

According to a systematic review (Manyanga et al. 2014), acupuncture diminishes pain and improves functional mobility and quality-of-life in patients with osteoarthritis.

Conditions with strong evidence

Knee osteoarthritis

  • 13. Manyanga T, Froese M, Zarychanski R, Abou-Setta A, Friesen C, Tennenhouse M, et al. Pain management with acupuncture in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014;14:312.

 

Evidence of potential positive effect

Acute low back pain

  • 14. Lee JH, Choi TY, Lee MS, Lee H, Shin BC, Lee H. Acupuncture for acute low back pain: a systematic review. Clin J Pain. 2013 Feb;29(2):172-85.

Lateral elbow pain

  • 15. Gadau M, Yeung WF, Liu H, Zaslawski C, Tan YS, Wang FC, et al. Acupuncture and moxibustion for lateral elbow pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014;14:136.

Neck pain -Neck pain and associated disorders (NAD)

  • 16. Trinh K, Graham N, Irnich D, Cameron ID, Forget M. Acupuncture for neck disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016(5):Cd004870.

Plantar heel pain

  • 17. Hempel S, Taylor SL, Solloway MR, Miake-Lye IM, Beroes JM, Shanman R, et al. VA Evidence-based Synthesis Program Reports. Evidence Map of Acupuncture. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs; 2014.

Shoulder pain

  • 18. Dong W, Goost H, Lin XB, Burger C, Paul C, Wang ZL, et al. Treatments for shoulder impingement syndrome: a PRISMA systematic review and network meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Mar;94(10):e510.

 

Headaches, Migraines & Neurological disorders

There is strong positive evidence to support acupuncture in tension-type headache episodic migraine (Linde et al.2016). 

Conditions with strong evidence

Headache (frequent episodic or chronic tension-type)

  • 19. Coeytaux RR, Befus D. Role of Acupuncture in the Treatment or Prevention of Migraine, Tension-Type Headache, or Chronic Headache Disorders. Headache. 2016 Jul;56(7):1238-40.
  • 20. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, Fei Y, Mehring M, Shin BC, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;4:Cd007587.

Migraine prophylaxis

  • 21. Da Silva AN. Acupuncture for migraine prevention. Headache. 2015 Mar;55(3):470-3.
  • 22. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, Fei Y, Mehring M, Vertosick EA, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016(6):Cd001218.
  • 23. Yang Y, Que Q, Ye X, Zheng G. Verum versus sham manual acupuncture for migraine: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Acupunct Med. 2016 Apr;34(2):76-83.

Evidence of potential positive effect

Acute & Post-stroke neurological impairment and dysfunction

  • 24. Vados L, Ferreira A, Zhao S, Vercelino R, Wang S. Effectiveness of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation for treatment of acute or subacute stroke: a systematic review. Acupunct Med. 2015 Jun;33(3):180-7.
  • 25. Liu AJ, Li JH, Li HQ, Fu DL, Lu L, Bian ZX, et al. Electroacupuncture for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Am J Chin Med. 2015;43(8):1541-66.
  • 26. Zhang JH, Wang D, Liu M. Overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of acupuncture for stroke. Neuroepidemiology. 2014;42(1):50-8.

Post-stroke spasticity

  • 27. Rodriguez-Mansilla J, Espejo-Antunez L, Bustamante-Lopez AI. [Effectiveness of acupuncture in spasticity of the post-stroke patient. Systematic review]. Aten Primaria. 2016 Apr;48(4):226-34.

Post-stroke insomnia

  • 28. Lee SH, Lim SM. Acupuncture for insomnia after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016;16:228.

Post-stroke shoulder pain

  • 29. Lee SH, Lim SM. Acupuncture for Poststroke Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.

 

Digestive Dysfunction

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) [Positive effect]
Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) [Positive effect]

Conditions with strong evidence

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (with anti-emetics)

  • 30. McKeon C, Smith, C.A., Hardy, J. & Chang, E. Acupunctrue and acupressure for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting : a systematic review. Australian Journal of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. 2013;8(1):2-17.
  • 31. Garcia MK, McQuade J, Lee R, Haddad R, Spano M, Cohen L. Acupuncture for symptom management in cancer care: an update. Curr Oncol Rep. 2014 Dec;16(12):418.

Postoperative nausea & vomiting

  • 32. Lee A, Chan SK, Fan LT. Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015(11):Cd003281.
  • 33. Cho HK, Park IJ, Jeong YM, Lee YJ, Hwang SH. Can perioperative acupuncture reduce the pain and vomiting experienced after tonsillectomy? A meta-analysis. Laryngoscope. 2016 Mar;126(3):608-15.

Evidence of potential positive effect

Constipation

  • 17. Hempel S, Taylor SL, Solloway MR, Miake-Lye IM, Beroes JM, Shanman R, et al. VA Evidence-based Synthesis Program Reports. Evidence Map of Acupuncture. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs; 2014.

Irritable bowel syndrome

  • 34. MacPherson H, Tilbrook H, Agbedjro D, Buckley H, Hewitt C, Frost C. Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: 2-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial. Acupunct Med. 2016 Mar 15.

Recovery after colorectal cancer resection

35. Kim KH, Kim DH, Kim HY, Son GM. Acupuncture for recovery after surgery in patients undergoing colorectal cancer resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupunct Med. 2016 Aug;34(4):248-56.

 

Allergies, Respiratory & Immune Conditions

Conditions with strong evidence

Allergic rhinitis (seasonal and perennial/persistent)

  • 36. Feng S, Han M, Fan Y, Yang G, Liao Z, Liao W, et al. Acupuncture for the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2015 Jan-Feb;29(1):57-62.
  • 37. Taw MB, Reddy WD, Omole FS, Seidman MD. Acupuncture and allergic rhinitis. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015 Jun;23(3):216-20.
  • 38. McDonald JL, Smith PK, Smith CA, Changli Xue C, Golianu B, Cripps AW. Effect of acupuncture on house dust mite specific IgE, substance P, and symptoms in persistent allergic rhinitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016 Jun;116(6):497-505.

 

Evidence of potential positive effect

Asthma in adults

  • 39. Su L, Meng L, Chen R, Wu W, Peng B, Man L. Acupoint Application for Asthma Therapy in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Forsch Komplementmed. 2016;23(1):16-21.

Dry eye

  • 40. Yang L, Yang Z, Yu H, Song H. Acupuncture therapy is more effective than artificial tears for dry eye syndrome: evidence based on a meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:143858.

Smoking cessation-Up to 3 months post-treatment

  • 41. White AR, Rampes H, Liu JP, Stead LF, Campbell J. Acupuncture and related interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014(1):Cd000009.

 

Anxiety & Stress, Low Energy or Sleep difficulties

Conditions with strong evidence

Anxiety

  • 42. Goyata SL, Avelino CC, Santos SV, Souza Junior DI, Gurgel MD, Terra FS. Effects from acupuncture in treating anxiety: integrative review. Rev Bras Enferm. 2016 Jun;69(3):602-9.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

  • 43. Engel CC, Cordova EH, Benedek DM, Liu X, Gore KL, Goertz C, et al. Randomized effectiveness trial of a brief course of acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder. Med Care. 2014 Dec;52(12 Suppl 5):S57-64.

 

Evidence of potential positive effect

Insomnia

  • 44. Shergis JL, Ni X, Jackson ML, Zhang AL, Guo X, Li Y, et al. A systematic review of acupuncture for sleep quality in people with insomnia. Complement Ther Med. 2016 Jun;26:11-20.
  • 45. Bosch P, van den Noort M, Staudte H, Lim S. Schizophrenia and Depression: A systematic Review of the Effectiveness and the Working Mechanisms Behind Acupuncture. Explore (NY). 2015 Jul-Aug;11(4):281-91.

Pre-treatment/ Pre-operative anxiety

  • 46. Au DW, Tsang HW, Ling PP, Leung CH, Ip PK, Cheung WM. Effects of acupressure on anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acupunct Med. 2015 Oct;33(5):353-9.

Restless leg syndrome

  • 47. Bega D, Malkani R. Alternative treatment of restless legs syndrome: an overview of the evidence for mind- body interventions, lifestyle interventions, and neutraceuticals. Sleep Med. 2016 Jan;17:99-105.

 

Women’s Health

Evidence of potential positive effect

Back or pelvic pain during pregnancy

  • 48. Close C, Sinclair M, Liddle SD, Madden E, McCullough JE, Hughes C. A systematic review investigating the effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for the management of low back and/or pelvic pain (LBPP) in pregnancy. J Adv Nurs. 2014 Aug;70(8):1702-16.
  • 49. Liddle SD, Pennick V. Interventions for preventing and treating low-back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015(9):Cd001139.
    • Hypertension (with medication)
  • 50. Li DZ, Zhou Y, Yang YN, Ma YT, Li XM, Yu J, et al. Acupuncture for essential hypertension: a meta-analysis of randomized sham-controlled clinical trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:279478.

Labour pain

  • 51. Levett KM, Smith CA, Dahlen HG, Bensoussan A. Acupuncture and acupressure for pain management in labour and birth: a critical narrative review of current systematic review evidence. Complement Ther Med. 2014 Jun;22(3):523-40.

Menopausal hot flushes

  • 52. Chiu HY, Pan CH, Shyu YK, Han BC, Tsai PS. Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life in women in natural menopause: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Menopause. 2015 Feb;22(2):234-44.

Perimenopausal & postmenopausal insomnia

  • 53. Chiu HY, Hsieh YJ, Tsai PS. Acupuncture to Reduce Sleep Disturbances in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Mar;127(3):507-15.

Aromatase-inhibitor- induced arthralgia

  • 54. Chien TJ, Liu CY, Chang YF, Fang CJ, Hsu CH. Acupuncture for treating aromatase inhibitor-related arthralgia in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2015 May;21(5):251-60.

 

Men’s Health

Evidence of potential positive effect

Hypertension (with medication)

  • 55. Li DZ, Zhou Y, Yang YN, Ma YT, Li XM, Yu J, et al. Acupuncture for essential hypertension: a meta-analysis of randomized sham-controlled clinical trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:279478.

Prostatitis pain/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

  • 56. Chang SC, Hsu CH, Hsu CK, Yang SS, Chang SJ. The efficacy of acupuncture in managing patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Neurourol Urodyn. 2016 Jan 6.
  • 57. Qin Z, Wu J, Zhou J, Liu Z. Systematic Review of Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Mar;95(11):e3095.